New-York tribune., 1887-04-24
TALK ON PUBLIC QUESTIONS.
TOPICS OF THE TIME LOOKED AT FROM
VARIOUS POINTS OF VIEW.

The Secretary OF State of Ohio General James Rob
nson is sixfooter In stature with broad shoulders and
heavy frame. he is active politician and for many
years was chairman of the Ohio Republican Committee
In chat day two ago he suggested that the inter
state Commerce law, ofar Judge Reagan, OF Texas
had ANYTHING to do with IT, drafted for the purpose
of shutting Texas of from the rest OF the United states
and bringing about Of conhscaton OF the property
that State held by Northerners well as forcing the
building up of coast trade for Texas NOW VIII tel
you" said the General how came to get that impress
sion was the Committee Of Rivers ana Harbors Ia
the XLyIIItA Congress Reagan then pressing this
Interstate Commerce regulation. The Texas people
came in great numbers and asked our committee for an
appropriation Of million and half to be expended oy
Captain James B. Eads to start etty system at calves
ton. Judge Reagan with thcm. The harbor OF Gal
weston in many places has only seven feet OF water Win
no probability of ever making II OF greater depth,
although Eads willing TO promise almost anything
10 get the appropriations started The Texas people were
terribly clamorous for the Improvement Icouid not
understand 1t then, although we concluded not 10 make
the appropriation. Some time afterward got to talking
with Judge Reagan about this Interstate Commerce
question when said to him that thought the long and
short haul clause In his bill would shut Texas of from the
rest Of the world How you going to get your beef
into the Northern markets asked him. He shrugged
his shoulders and replied that he guessed they would
take of that easily enough and then went on TO te1
about their inventions for the making of Ice and re
frgerating processes and about how packing housei
could be established the coast and the beef sent Nor
by water and the Texas coast could thus he built
up Gradually through his whole motive In press
ing the Interstate Commerce question Now just think
OF the absury OF this man, who lives In district when
| until quite recently entirely without n railroad
being able 10 press through law under such motive
that affects every railroad In the country Judge Rcagat
has immense power in Congress among his felowDemo
crats especially among the Southern Democratic IL
comes almost wholly the fact that he is remnant
| Of JEFF Daviss Cabinet The Southern members rally
| around him as they do around no other man"
g. A. Jebb of Buffalo. gave item that tells Of tn,
way In which the honest granger" Is likely TO Ia
ground by the Interstate law which he thought was con
structed TO crush tho railroads Said Mr. Jebb One o.
my friends is heavy manufacturer of barbed wire. ii,
has large sale all through the West and especially OF
the Pacific Coast met him day or two before the In
terstate law went into effect He told me that his ship
ping department being night and day TO get of
all the wire possible 10 the coast before the measure
should law The old freight to California was &c
cents per hundred The tariff, he told me- 81 &C
a hundred. The farmer will 'sy the difference"
| Among the interesting men to be met nowadays II
financial circles downtown is exJudge John s. Thomp
SON. of Chicago. Judge Thompson born in Ohio, hu
studied law In Illinois, and at the OF about thirty wa
elected Circuit Judge for the Tenth Circuit OF that State
the same in which Senator stephen A. Douglas two o
three years before, had acquired his title OF judge
1
time Just prior his going California in 1868. Will,
domciled In California he travelled extensively on III,
Pacific Coast and finally entered upon the practice or law
for a while Los Angeles. He sold out HIS property
there however and returned TO Chicago where he no"
| lives. This taken for his convenience In con
neoton with large railroad enterprise In which he
now engaged His business "a president OF railroad
company has required him 70 spend good part OF hii
time in this city for year more The Judge has hat
experience in railroading before Among his carly ~
s0ciates In such enterprises was General Rooer
sohenek The Judge is rather conservative In politics
but is nevertheless enthusiastic Blaine man. believe
him tho fttest man in the United States for President
and declares that he will carry the state OF Illinois II
Mr. Blaine should not be nominee. he regards his cl
| lowtownsmsn, Robert T. Lincoln, as safe man, ahc
who could not be surpassed In contest before ts
| people
An old border man, who Is TO be about the Fin
| Avenue Hotel and the Hoffman House Is General T.
| Marshall OF Denver He must be nearly seventy year,
OF age but is still erect and vigorous. His hair. which
was once hued is getting streaked with gray, bn
otherwise he Ia wel preserved Like most men OF hi'
type day he has had his ups and downs in business
and speculation In the mining business his best srok,
was the development and placing of mino known az
Marshall Tunnel" out OF which he mado big fortune
which he has invested In other mining ventures and
cattle and stock growing. Ho has some OF the finest
horses in his State and s considered one OF tho best
Judges OF horsenesh in the Western country The Gen
1
condition of business Thus he said the other day All
that this country wants Is 10 get the Dog Star of It,
People are little tmid yet and do not realize what
great country this Is and how much 1t has got TO grow
yet before 1t reaches its period OF highest prosperity
Why you might drop half OF Europe right in here and we
could of that increased population without hail
effort. There Is speculation and speculation. The
who speculates tho development OF the country
under conditions such exist at the present time is not
going to get left He may get bittes in n wildcat
scheme easy enough because the woods fu OF them
but he scarcely amss II he uses precaIton to get
hold 10 II TIL he makes his pile The whole tendency
of the country is in the direction OF Increase OF values
| and can make mistake who follows that general
| direction"
At the Windsor Hotel night two ago George q.
McMurtry OF the leading steel manufacturers
OF Pittsburg He has head OF the French type close
gray hair gray musache and goatee and black eye
brows, over large and intelligent eyes. Mr. McMurtry
said that he thought this country might well have free
trade as a protective tariff policy without protection.
| He indicated a moment later that his remark was in
tended az a reflection lukewarm legislation, pretend
edy protection He continued In TO Inquiries
to sayl Free trade would hurt labor severely II would
hurt capital well, fer you cannot hurt one without
hurting the other. The bringing Of our labor into
petition with foreign labor would quickly have retro
| grading effect There men In our works who were
last year earning $l5 week In England who getting
$33 week merely by crossing the water In general
way wages about double here what they In Eng
land In line The item OF cost OF living must be
sidered in that of One OF most intelligent
workmen is a who for fifteen years the head
Of department IN OF the largest works In England
He has made careful comparison OF the cost Of living
and tells that there is scarcely any difference He
can live cheapy here there II he lives in the SIM
pcty enforced there but not necessary here
| have workman In my employ who never had el5 TO
his name who has been in this country about year who
has partly paid for thousand dollar house and will have
cleared inside Of another six months These only
pointers general condition Of things In the labor field
| consequent on protection"
We fell into conversation about phases OF labor
agitation under free trade" said Mr. McMurry, the
labor organizations could not keep together exert